Here's Your Chance to Start a World-Class Motorcycle Collection
The Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama, is home to the world's largest motorcycle collection. And every fall it also plays host to one of the year's most important motorcycle auctions, courtesy of UK-based Bonhams. This year's sale on Oct. 10 will be both live and online, giving both established collectors and first-timers a chance to get their hands on some incredibly beautiful bikes. Here are our highlights:
This gorgeous mid-1930s design masterpiece was built by Italy's oldest (surviving) motorcycle manufacturer, Fratelli Benelli, founded in Pesaro in 1911. Est. $55,000–$65,000.
This historically significant 1920s BMW from Germany's renowned Gerhard Schnuerer Collection is in museum-like condition and ready to win awards. Est. $50,000–$70,000.
1934/46 Norton Model 18 International
This one-of-a-kind British beauty was customized in the 1930s, and then fully restored in the 1960s. Nowadays it is "most handsome," Bonhams notes, and ready to ride. Est. $18,000–$24,000.
No list of this sort would be complete without a '70s Bonneville, and this example is in original condition, though in need of a sensitive restoration. Hence the low estimate of $7,000–$9,000.
Last but not least we have something more modern: a stunning example of an important bike in Ducati's racing history, which was on display at the Museo Ducati in Bologna for years. Est. $50,000–$60,000.
